Distance/Flexible Education SIG

Our mission of Distance/Flexible Education SIG is to provide a platform for dialogues regarding alternative and innovative teaching and learning opportunities from the traditional face-to-face classroom environment. Such alternative learning opportunities exist largely due to the rapid development of web-based technologies, including but not limited to course/learning management systems, open source software, social media, as well as various advanced multimedia technologies that offer synchronous and asynchronous, audio and visual, oral and written communications. The technology affordances offer a wide range of flexibility and choices, from online to hybrid and to face-to-face, in order to obtain knowledge and communicate with our teachers, peers, and students anytime and anywhere, 24/7/365, and promote life-long learning. To facilitate the dialogues, we invite graduate students as well as faculty members to join us in research to explore and expand learning opportunities beyond imagination.

Activities include:

Sharing among group members the current research, practical models, resources, materials for the continued improvement in quality and access of distance/flexible education

Developing and maintaining an online presence to facilitate communication, publicize our mission to SITE membership, and provide a model of flexible education

Communicating with other SIGs and SITE leadership to refine our mission and activities

Serving as reviewers for relevant submissions to AACE

Disseminating our SIG’s work beyond SITE at other professional organizations

Examining opportunities for research and grant support in the area of distance/flexible education